Arkansas at Ole Miss Postgame Quotes

ARKANSAS POSTGAME QUOTES

Arkansas Head Coach Houston Nutt
(On playing without three running backs) "It's tough losing Cedrick Cobbs, De'Arrius Howard, and Brandon Holmes. That's three good people all at the same spot, three tailbacks. The plan was to use DeCori Birmingham for draws and screens, and pound with Holmes. Holmes was hurt below the knee on a kick-off. That's illegal"

"It is frustrating. We have to get back to work. We need to get De'Arrius Howard and Cedric Cobbs back."

(Of his team's play on defense)
"I am proud of our effort, particularly special teams and defense. Our defense did a great job keeping Manning off balance. Our defense kept giving us chances. They kept getting us the ball. We just didn't have the running game, losing three backs."

(On Ole Miss' defense)
"The Ole Miss defense has to feel good. They did a good job of dictating the pace of the game. Ole Miss is better running the ball than last year and earlier this year. You know what Eli can do with his timing and his accuracy. He has a lot of talented receivers and they've been together for a while."

(On penalties in the game)
"There were a couple of penalties that I just don't know about. I know we had the same amount as Ole Miss."

(On the defensive delay of game)
"They said we yelled something. There is one call I know we can make, 'move'. But they said we yelled something." Arkansas QB Matt Jones
(On the loss of three running backs)
"It's tough, but I thought DeCori Birmingham, Kyle Dickerson and Brandon Holmes did a good job out there. Cedric Cobbs is a great running back, and he's hard to replace. Those three are great guys, though, and they came in and did a great job."

(On rebounding against Kentucky next week)
"We just have to get the points on the board. Our defense is good enough, they can feed off that."

(On his fumble)
"I have to hold onto the ball. That's three or four times that's happened this year."

(On the penalties)
"Penalties have hurt us this year. We have got to execute and put points on the board. You aren't going to win if you don't put the points on the board."

Arkansas DE Jeb Huckeba
(On Ole Miss' offense)
"They did a good job of mixing it up with the run and the pass today. We did a decent job of stopping them. We'd hold them to three-and-out a couple of times, then, they would do something to get a little momentum. Their field goal kicker did a great job of keeping them up and maximizing on chances to score."

(On the game overall)
"They have a good quarterback and a good coaching staff. We just lacked that something tonight. Defensively, we just didn't do a good enough job or we would have been able to win the game."

Arkansas OL Shawn Andrews
(On Ole Miss' defense)
"We figured they would try to find a weakness in our game. They knew we were going without our regular running backs. They aren't a big defensive front, but they saw we couldn't pick up their blitzes very well and they came with the blitz."

Arkansas LB Caleb Miller
(On Ole Miss running game picking up late)
"I think it was more of a sense of urgency on our part, guys trying to make things happen. We had guys trying to strip the ball instead of making the play and making the stop. Guys were trying to do something extraordinary instead of just playing to make the stop. It's a tradeoff of one thing for another."

OLE MISS POSTGAME QUOTES

Ole Miss Head Coach David Cutcliffe
(Opening Comments)
"That was really a good win. When you start to become a good football team, you find different ways to win. Certainly, tonight the defense and kicking game was certainly at its best. We did what we had to do offensively under tough circumstances even when things aren't going your way. We found a way to get better in the second half. I think we found a way for the whole team to get better in second half as the game went on."

(Talk about Jonathan Nichols and how important he was tonight.)
"You can't say enough about him. Every one of those points was big tonight. He has just been tremendous. But I'm not going to take him for granted. I know that he is not automatic. But he works extremely hard and I'm proud of him."

(Did tonight's win feel easy?)
"Nothing felt easy. Every time they had the ball, we knew what they were capable of doing, having watched them on tape. They have made comeback after comeback. Knowing what kind of playmaker Matt Jones is made me a nervous wreck. But I thought our players got better in the second half and that made things a little easier."

(Talk about being 4-0 in the conference)
"It's something that we have not been able to do recently. It's still a work in progress. We are still trying to get better. It's great to get to 4-0, but that is all it is. It's something to build on. We have to continue to get better as a team. But when things are going well, it makes the players eager to get back on the practice field."

(Talk about Arkansas running game)
"I'm sure that they would like to have their top two backs, but that is Southeastern Conference football, and sometimes things like that happen. We had four and now we are down two ourselves. It's a physical thing and a physical conference."

(Talk about the defense and containing Arkansas offense)
"I thought our defense tackled well. I thought we played the line of scrimmage well. We knew that they were the best running team in the conference. We knew that we had a big challenge and I think our team answered that challenge for the most part."

(Did the rain hamper the passing game or was it the Arkansas defense?)
"I think it was Arkansas. They did a good job. We will have to go back and look at the tape. I'm really proud of Eli because that was a real test. When things are going easy, it's easy to play well. He really did a great job of taking care of the football. He really did a great job of taking care of the football. Being patience, tucking it down and running for a few yards. He did the things it took to win the game, and I can't say enough about the way he played tonight."

Ole Miss Defensive Coordinator Chuck Driesbach
(Talk about your pass defense)
"We had some guys in the right positions earlier and we just weren't making plays. We just kept talking to our guys about staying with it. They were doing the right things. We just had to put ourselves in good positions and things would happen.

(Any particular thing that has turned the pass defense around for you?)
"No, I think our guys just believe in what we do. They believe in each other. We have an outstanding coaching staff in Rick Petri, Jim Knowles, and Marion Hobby. We do it all together."

(Was this the toughest test for the defense yet this season?)
"They are the leading team in rushing in the SEC. They are high up there in the national stats. We knew this was going to a great challenge for us. They have a great quarterback in Matt Jones. I can't remember how many times we had him and couldn't get him on the ground. But I am real proud of our guys for standing up to that kind of challenge. They just keep getting tougher and tougher."

Eli Manning, QB
"To be honest, we didn't play as well as we have been, but that's the way football goes. But we played smart football and didn't turn the ball over. We played good enough to win the game."

(On the offensive line)
"They did a good job. Arkansas threw some good stuff at us defensively to try to confuse us. Our offensive line did a good job of picking it up. They were dropping so many people back in coverage that it opened up some lanes for me to run the ball. So I took advantage of it."

(On the red zone offense)
"We would have liked for a couple of those possessions to be touchdowns, but I thought we played smart, protected the ball and got the points we needed to win the game."

(On the 4-0 SEC start)
"It's a big help to us as a team. We've got to keep it up and try to get a win."

Mike Espy, WR
"I think the offense played well. There were times that we could have played a lot better, but all that matters is that we came out with that 'W'. The defense played exceptionally well tonight. They played the best I think they've played all season."

(On the red zone offense)
"We had trouble getting touchdowns, but further down the schedule, that's how it's going to be. When you play good SEC teams, you're going to have trouble scoring touchdowns, but they will come."

(On the 4-0 SEC start)
"We're just trying to move in stride and practice hard. As long as we continue to stay humble, good things will come."

Jonathan Nichols, PK
"Two years ago I missed a short one wide right, and I've been waiting for this game for a long time to get back at them."

"The 42-yarder was a big one. We got a half snap on it, and Cody Ridgeway has been clutch since he's been here. Whatever the snapper sends back there, he can put it down."

(On South Carolina)
"It's going to be another big game. Like Coach Cutcliffe said, the stakes get higher every game."

Vashon Pearson, RB
(On the offense)
"I think we played well. We came out kind of sluggish and weren't clicking like we wanted to at the beginning. We came in at halftime and made some adjustments. We came out in the second half and made things work."

(On the offensive line)
"Arkansas was doing some things defensively we hadn't seen before, something we needed corrections on. The offensive line came out in the second half and executed like we needed them to."

(On the 4-0 SEC start)
"I think everybody's confidence is up. We're just looking forward to playing South Carolina this weekend."

Travis Johnson, DB
(On the interception)
"The quarterback was looking that way the whole time. I just came up and made a big play."

(On the 4-0 SEC start)
"We worked hard, and it paid off. Going to practice, doing what we've got to do, focusing, watching film and everything helped us out a lot coming into this game."

(On the defensive turnaround)
"We were kind of off earlier in the season. Now we've gotten together as a team, and it's helping us out a lot. It took us some time to get together and just know each other. Communication means a lot on the field."

Justin Wade, LB
(On the 4-0 SEC start)
"It feels great. It's a new feeling, and one we haven't had for a while here. We can't stop here. We need to think about next week, because South Carolina is going to be a big game."

(On the defensive turnaround)
"I think we just stepped up after those two losses. We knew we really had to come through when it counted. We became more focused. We're playing with more tenacity and confidence then we ever have."

(On stopping Matt Jones)
"He still got out of our hands a couple times. I was really surprised he didn't run the option at us. For the most part, we kept him contained, put pressure on him and made him throw some bad passes."

Jayme Mitchell, DE
(On the 4-0 SEC start)
"This is what we've been working toward, trying to get to Atlanta. We've had a great start, and it's looking pretty good. If we keep playing and working hard like these past four weeks, I believe we can make it there."

(On the defensive turnaround)
"Everybody knows their assignment. Everybody is focused, knowing what they have to do. We've had good coaching, and everybody has worked hard. That's where it comes from."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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